Want to cuddle a kitten while sipping your cappuccino? Come autumn, you’ll be in luck — and spoiled for choice.

The race is on to open Toronto’s first cat café, capitalizing on a global craze where people visit specialty coffee shops to simultaneously fill their needs for caffeine and feline companionship.

Lifelong animal lover Jennifer Morozowich is behind Kitty Cat Café, which she envisions as being a more modern version of the fictional Central Perk, from the popular show Friends, but with between six and 15 cats running around. Morozowich hasn’t yet found the perfect location, but her goal is to open in September.

Allergies, rental restrictions and the simple love for cuddly creatures have created a huge demand for cat cafés, said Morozowich, who has been rescuing and fostering cats for about 15 years.

“It’ll be for people who need to get their kitty fix, people who need to de-stress — because cats really do help de-stress — it’ll be people who just really love cats and want to hang out with them,” she said.

Then there are Ashkan Rahimi and Jeff Ro, the men behind Pet Me Meow, a “cool, hip” cat café that will fit in with the atmosphere of the Ossington Ave. and College or Queen St. area, where they hope to open early in the fall.

“The whole vibe of the place is just going to be kind of warm and relaxing, where people can just kick back and spend a day there,” Ro said.

Among the couches and cushions, however, there’ll be all sorts of nooks and crannies specially designed for kitties to enjoy.

“This cat café is really going to be (the cats’) home, and visitors to the café are really going to be guests in their home,” Ro said.

Having coffee with a kitten is a novelty that appeals to many, but cat cafés pose a challenge when it comes to public health bylaws. To meet health and safety requirements for both animals and patrons, each café will be split into two separate sections.

In one room, customers will be able to order and enjoy drinks and tasty treats in a furball-free environment. Those who don’t mind a side of cat hair as a condiment can take their spoils into the lounge area, where cats will roam freely, kneading the laps of adoring patrons, sunning themselves in windows, and frolicking with human friends. Cats will also have separate, specially ventilated spaces where they can get some alone time and do their litter box business in private.

“There will not be a cleaner place,” Morozowich said of Kitty Cat Café. “We’re going to have the health board on our tail 24/7. It’s going to be the cleanest establishment in Toronto.”

Patrons won’t be allowed to bring their own cats to the cafés, but all of the cats at both Kitty Cat Café and Pet Me Meow will be provided by shelters and available for adoption. Ro and Rahimi have partnered with Toronto Cat Rescue to find friendly felines for their space, while Morozowich is relying on TEAM Cat Rescue to find the perfect kitties for her café.

“The cats have to be 100 per cent social, happy, healthy,” said Morozowich, adding that the animals will all be checked by both a vet and an animal behaviourist before they go into the café.

With thousands of kitties sitting in shelters and roaming the streets, there are more than enough cats to keep two cafés supplied with cuteness. But are there enough feline aficionados to support not one, but two, cat cafés in Toronto?

Definitely, say the prospective owners.

“There are so many animal lovers in Toronto,” Rahimi said.

Racing to be first is fun, say the Pet Me Meow guys, but really, it’s all about the cats.

“We really embrace the opportunity, knowing that there’s someone else trying to do the same thing,” Rahimi said. “And at the end of the day, it’s really about trying to change lives and trying to change the face of adoption. So, if two of us are doing that, why not?”

Demand for cat cafés in other parts of the world has blossomed since the first shop opened in Taiwan in 1998. Today, there are hundreds of cat cafés all across Asia, particularly in Japan, South Korea and China.

The trend recently spread to Europe, too. Lady Dinah’s Cat Emporium became the first British cat café when it opened in March. Trying to stem queues, the London café set up online bookings; 20,000 people signed up for slots in the first week and Lady Dinah’s is currently booked up until October.

“We’re really enjoying seeing how happy people are when they visit,” said owner Lauren Pears. “People make friends with each other and we’re starting to feel a wonderful community building up around the cat emporium.”

Founder Clément Marty says his business has been a “community project” from the beginning, with complete strangers helping him raise $41,000 through a crowd-funding campaign.

The Toronto café owners are also looking to crowd funding to get their businesses off the ground. Morozowich is hoping to raise $60,000 for Kitty Cat Café by June 28, while Ro and Rahimi are looking to raise $70,000 for Pet Me Meow by June 13. All three owners say the cafés will go ahead even if their fundraising goals aren’t reached.

Torontonians have already been incredibly supportive, Ro said. He’s received lots of emails and messages from people looking to help out in any way they can.

“It’s a really humbling experience, how welcoming people are to this idea,” Ro said. “People are really passionate about cats.”

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